Jury trial set for woman arrested for refusing to leave tree

The case of an Akron woman arrested after refusing to come down from an ash tree in Highland Square wasn’t resolved in a pre-trial hearing Friday and is now set for a jury trial.

Sharon Pritt, 31, of Balch Street, has pleaded not guilty to obstruction and criminal trespassing, both misdemeanors.

Pritt is set for a jury status on July 11 and, unless the case is resolved, a jury trial on July 16. Her case is assigned to Judge Joy Oldfield.

Pritt was arrested June 4 after initially refusing to get out of the tree, which delayed the start of cutting it down for about an hour.

The protest started a week earlier, when residents learned the tree would be taken down to make way for a 25,000-square-foot retail and apartment building planned for the north side of West Market Street at the former site of the Von and Crescent apartment buildings. Protesters remained in the tree 24 hours a day after that. After Pritt’s arrest, a tree-trimming company immediately began the removal.

Council is expected to vote on legislation Monday on the plans for the development.